Error rate nearly zero

Reyher is one of the largest trading firms for innovative connecting components and mounting technology. Klaus Mundt, head of technology at Reyher, has for many years now consistently utilized sensors from Leuze electronic in Reyher's highly-automated logistics. This is also true of their newest project at present, that is again being carried out in cooperation with plant automation firm U.C.S Industrieelektronik.

At Reyher's headquarters in Hamburg, the trading firm – one of the largest in the industry – handles a material turnover volume of several hundred metric tons each day for customers around the world. The trade with connecting and fixing components is characterized by disproportionately high procurement and handling costs in relationship to the actual value of the goods. Consequently, Reyher deploys sophisticated logistics systems with a very high degree of automation, which are continuously refined and expanded.

"Automation makes our processes more efficient and error-free", stresses Klaus Mundt, head of technology, who gauges performance with regard to material handling based on quickness, delivery flexibility, delivery quality and the absence of errors.

With regard to the issue of absence of errors, Klaus Mundt also explains why he prefers the sensors from Leuze electronic in the various storage and logistics areas: "Delivering more than 15,000 different products each day means moving over 15,000 containers, boxes or pallets – often many times. To identify these, we work with roughly 100 bar code readers. Manufacturers usually offer such devices with a very high error resistance. Yet, even with an error rate that appears to be quite low – two percent, for instance – this means that there would still be several hundred faulty packages in transit each day. With bar code readers from Leuze electronic, our rate of erroneous readings is nearly zero".

The devices that Klaus Mundt is referring to are stationary-installed bar code readers (BCL) and bar code positioning systems (BPS). "We use the latter along with other systems from Leuze electronic; for example, AMS laser distance measurement systems, for the precise positioning of high-bay storage devices," adds Thomas Ludwig, the responsible project manager from U.C.S. Industrieelektronik GmbH. The innovative partner for system control and automation, located in Wedel/Holstein, Germany, implements the warehouse and logistics automation for Reyher.

Dependable and easily integrated

The BPS bar code positioning systems consist of two essential components: the BCB bar code tape and the read head. The code tape (BCT) is a self-adhesive polyester tape that can be attached easily along the track of a high-bay storage device. Additional terminals, clips, fastening or attachment equipment are not necessary. "On a dust and grease-free surface, a 60 meter long tape can be affixed in less than 30 minutes", reports Thomas Ludwig.

For him, important factors are – in addition to the tremendous reliability of the devices – their ease of operation and integration. In conjunction with this, he also mentions safety sensors with muting functionality that have become necessary in the new project. This project concerns the new Hall 12, with 7,500 m2 of work area. In the future, it will also encompass the part of the shipping area where customer-specific Kanban containers are conveyed and filled.

Optimized compressor workplaces

Throughout the entire Reyher logistics center, the picking of the customer orders is handled based on 60,000 pallets and 120,000 container locations in three storage areas. "At Reyher, this means that one container isn't sent through the storage area and successively filled, as is typically the case. Instead, multiple containers from different storage areas are consolidated for one customer order", explains Klaus Mundt. This is done by so-called sorters. From there, the collected containers go to "compressor workplaces" where the products are manually repacked into their final shipment packaging.

The overall flow of goods is organized, depending on mode of shipment, in shipping areas 1 and 2 (primarily conventional pallet shipments) and in shipping area 3 (shipment by way of Kanban containers). There, the proper intended container for each customer order – namely the Kanban container suitable to the respective Kanban system of the customer – must be supplied to the compressor workplaces. "Previously, employees had to manually pick up the respective containers from the storage spaces. To do this, they spent a large amount of their working hours walking around", recounts Klaus Mundt.

As part of the capacity expansion in Hall 12, the Kanban shipping area will be separated and newly set up. What is essential in conjunction with this is that the empty Kanban containers are supplied automatically and at the right time to the compressor workplaces via three respective pallet storage spaces. "This applies to all high-speed containers, so that our employees no longer have to go through the manual Kanban empty container warehouse. Now, they only have to manually retrieve products from a "specialty small parts storage area" in a very small number of cases", adds Klaus Mundt.

The fully-automated system for providing Kanban containers, which U.C.S. Industrieelektronik equipped with devices from Leuze electronic, has pallet storage spaces in which the entire variety of standard Kanban containers are accommodated. Additionally, there are Kanban containers that come from Reyher itself and are offered to customers on a rental basis. Provision of these from the shelves is handled by two high-bay storage devices. They travel over a 60 meter long track – equipped with a bar code positioning system from Leuze electronic. The flawless control integration of this system by U.C.S. Industrieelektronik reliably prevents collisions. Optical, high-performance data transmission systems (DDLS) from Leuze electronic are used for flexible data transmission from the moving vehicles.

Matched safety components within a set

As the pallets with the empty Kanban containers are supplied directly to the compressor workplaces, and therefore moving components automatically arrive directly in the workplaces, these must be protected with the appropriate safety devices. The reason being that the pallets with the containers should be able to travel out of the areas protected by light barriers without triggering a switching signal when traversing a light barrier protected field. With the muting function, suppression of the protective function for a limited time, in a manner compliant with the intended purpose, is possible in such cases.

The arrangement of the light barriers is laid out according to requirements. Since the situation at Reyher involves containers of various sizes, the cross-muting variant – with two Reflection Light Beam Devices and crossed beams – was chosen. Such protective devices consist of numerous components that must be electrically and mechanically synchronized to another, to guarantee both safety and availability. With the CPSET Safety Sensor Sets, Leuze electronic provides well-thought-through solutions that incorporate these requirements. They include select and ready prepared components for the respective application cases.

"Together with all of the sensor tasks in logistics automation, at Reyher we have also implemented the muting applications quickly, simply and economically in this way, with top-quality and reliable optoelectronics from Leuze electronic – ergo everything from a single source", notes U.C.S. project manager Thomas Ludwig with satisfaction.